Horrific conditions continue at a massive bird breeding facility.
In February, we revealed the extreme cruelty that birds in the pet trade endure in breeding mills. Our first-of-its-kind investigation into parrot mills in Texas and Oklahoma found thousands of birds crammed into small, dirty metal cages and birds left outside in intense summer heat and freezing cold. One of the mills we investigated has just been cited again by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Mill Owner Admits Killing Birds With Car Exhaust
Less than two weeks after we submitted a formal complaint to the USDA, government inspectors paid a visit to budgie breeders Ervin, Betty, and Gladys Plett in Boley, Oklahoma. In our investigation, the breeder admitted on camera to suffocating birds in a plastic bag. Now, he’s admitted to killing birds with car exhaust. In a conversation with the inspector, the owner “described sometimes utilizing carbon monoxide delivered via automobile exhaust when there was a batch of birds to be euthanized.”
Dirty, Crowded Cages
In the same inspection, the USDA also cited the mill for keeping birds in extremely crowded cages and poor sanitation. In the room where young birds are kept, the inspector noted that multiple birds were forced to stand on the floor because there was no room to perch. Perching is a critical behavior for budgies. The inspector also noted an accumulation of debris, feces, feathers, and other matter on the wooden nesting boxes.
Take Action
Unfortunately, the USDA doesn’t do much when licensed mills break the law. That’s why hundreds of bird mills, puppy mills, guinea pig mills, and more still exist in the US. It’s up to us to stop this cruelty from happening.
Help us shut down bird mills: